Russia has reportedly amassed a large task group in Syrian waters as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad mulls an assault on rebel positions in the northern Idlib province.

With over ten warships deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, this is Russia’s largest naval buildup since the country stated supporting the Syrian president in 2015.

According to Russian media reports, the buildup is in response to warnings from the US and allies against the use of chemical weapons. US national security adviser John Bolton told reporters last week that military intelligence suggested that Assad could use chemical weapons in the Idlib campaign.

“The US will respond to any verified chemical weapons use in Idlib or elsewhere in Syria in a swift and appropriate manner,” US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Tuesday.

Russia’s naval task group off Syria is composed of three Project 11356 frigates, destroyer Severomorsk, Sava-class cruiser Marshal Ustinov, corvette Vyshny Volochyok, frigate Pytlivy and two Kilo-class submarines – Kolpino and Veliky Novgorod, in addition to other landing and support ships.

The buildup was confirmed by NATO and the organization’s spokesperson, Oana Lungescu, said it was important that “all actors in the region exercise restraint”.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

SRI LANKA (Aug. 28, 2018) The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) and embarked U.S. Marines assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conduct a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the Sri Lanka navy while on a scheduled deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th MEU, Aug. 28, 2018. Anchorage and the embarked Marines of the 13th MEU conducted a theater security cooperation exercise with the Sri Lankan navy. Part of a growing U.S.-Sri Lanka naval partnership, the exercise is also an opportunity for U.S. 7th Fleet to explore local logistics support services for visiting naval forces operating throughout the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Victoria Decker/Released)

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Video of Chinese tanks and military equipment likely to take part in Vostok-18 appeared on the internet in early August.

PLA tanks were shown transiting Kazakhstan on trains, prompting the Kazakhstan Defense Ministry to issue a statement saying the PLA arms were headed for a Russian military training site near Cherbarkul, a town some 900 miles east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains.

The Chinese forces will take part in another international military exercise to be held before Vostok-18 hosted by the Chinese-led, anti-U.S. alliance known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

In a related development, Russian military forces in the eastern part of the country were placed on high alert on Monday ahead of the Vostok-18 exercises.

The alert was a five-day "snap inspection" in preparation for the upcoming international exercise, said Shoygu, the Russian defense minister.

Fisher, a China expert, said the Vostok exercises usually seek to test the latest offensive combined arms warfare tactics and new Russian weapons.

"If it indeed participates, the PLA will gain its first near-real exposure to modern combined arms warfare," he said.

The PLA participation in the Russian exercise likely will result in a reciprocal Russian military visit to China in the future. That would mean "the Russian force will be exposed to and likely be asked to critique the latest PLA developments in its combined-armed warfare tactics."

The joint military cooperation marks a significant increase in Chinese-Russian strategic cooperation and could lead to a formal military alliance, Fisher said.

"It also signifies that China is ready to provide political support at a minimum, and perhaps intelligence and maybe even logistic support, should Russia initiate aggression against the Baltic states, Poland, or the Ukraine," he added.

The joint military cooperation also may signify there is a developing Russian obligation to support China in the event it attacks Taiwan, or supports North Korea against South Korea and the United States," Fisher said.

The September 2014 Vostok exercise included 4,000 troops of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces that are in charge of nuclear missiles.

The 2014 exercises prompted U.S. government concerns that Moscow was preparing for a large-scale intervention in Ukraine coinciding with the seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula that year.

Monday, August 27, 2018

The US Navy re-established the 2nd Fleet in a ceremony (CVN 77) at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, Aug. 24.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson presided over the ceremony aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.

Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis will be in charge of ships, aircraft and landing forces that will be tasked with protecting the East Coast and patrolling the northern Atlantic Ocean.

“Although deeply consequential, the meaning of this establishment can be summarized simply as a dynamic response to a dynamic security environment — a security environment clearly articulated in the National Defense Strategy,” said Richardson.

“We first need to understand this competitive security environment and why it demands every ounce of our tenacity, ingenuity and fighting spirit. Then we can focus on the mission and how best to accomplish it; 2nd Fleet will enhance our capacity to maneuver and fight in the Atlantic, and as a result, help to maintain America’s maritime superiority that will lead to security, influence and prosperity for our nation.”

Lewis assumed command as the first commander of the re-established C2F, after his confirmation by the Senate June 28.

US 2nd Fleet will be headquartered in Norfolk. All of Lewis’s operational command tours have been on the East Coast making him intimately familiar with operations in the Atlantic. Most recently, he commanded Carrier Strike Group 12 and deployed with USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) to the U.S. 6th and 5th Fleet areas of operation.

“I am truly honored to lead this fleet. US 2nd Fleet has a storied history, and we will honor that legacy,” said Lewis. “However, we will not simply pick up where we left off. We are going to aggressively and quickly build this command into an organization with operational capability. We will challenge our assumptions, recognize biases, learn and adapt from failures so as to innovate in order to build a fleet that is ready to fight. Ready to fight – so we don’t have to.”

US 2nd Fleet will fall under operational control of US Fleet Forces Command. The fleet had previously been disestablished in 2011.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the 30th Fast Response Cutter (FRC), the future USCGC Robert G. Ward (WPC 1130), to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard took delivery of the vessel on the 21st of August, 2018 in Key West, Florida. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for February, 2019 in California and she will be the second FRC stationed in San Pedro, California.

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This cutter’s namesake, Robert Ward, was a seaman first class on USS Joseph T. Dickman during the battle of Normandy. While serving as coxswain in the first wave of landings, he successfully landed his troops despite heavy enemy oppression and went back to guide to safety two other crews whose boats had been destroyed by enemy mortar fire. For his conspicuous gallantry in action against the enemy, Ward was awarded the Silver Star.

To build the FRC, Bollinger used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708.

The 154-foot FRC is designed to patrol coastal regions and features advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; the ability to launch and recover standardized cutter boats from astern or via side davits; and improved seakeeping and habitability.

The FRCs, which are replacing the 1980s-era 110-foot Island-class patrol boats, feature an endurance of five days and reach a maximum speed of over 28 knots. The cutters are complemented operationally by the offshore patrol cutter’s extended range and endurance, and the national security cutter’s offshore capabilities.

The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials. Recently, the Coast Guard deployed USCGC Oliver F. Berry (WPC 1124) from Hawaii across the Pacific to the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The 4,400 nautical mile trip marked the furthest deployment of an FRC to date. This trip showcases the hugely expanded operational reach and capability that the FRC provides.

The Coast Guard has ordered 44 FRCs to date. Twenty-eight are in service: 12 in Florida, six in Puerto Rico, two in Alaska, two in New Jersey, two in Mississippi, two in Hawaii and two in North Carolina. Future FRC homeports include Galveston, Texas and Santa Rita, Guam.

Friday, August 24, 2018

Our good friend Jack in Kentucky checks in with another excellent set of intercepts from the Blue Grass state. Thanks Jack.

7669.0 RED THUNDER (USN vessel) with a EAM of 36 characters. Guessing this
is another practice EAM circuit, 7661.0 USB has carried similar EAMs,
usually from multiple onboard operators, in the past, as has 11850.0 USB:
1420 UTC in USB voice (2018AUG22) (JLM)

5303.5 SWAMP FOX, AL National Guard, one of the few AL
NG stations checking into this week's voice net. BULLDOG MAJOR was net
control. Receive conditions weren't very good on this frequency today: 1400
UTC in USB voice (2018AUG23) (JLM)